


Entwined

by lumienarc



Category: 2PM (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Crimes & Criminals, Crossdressing, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Everyone belongs to investigation bureau!, F/M, Investigator! Nichkhun, M/M, Mind Manipulation, Murder Mystery, Murderer Chara, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-15
Updated: 2016-12-15
Packaged: 2018-09-08 17:53:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8855203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lumienarc/pseuds/lumienarc
Summary: Nichkhun, a former agent locked in asylum for killing frenzy, is summoned back to crack a chain of murders happened to young male students. The fact that this murderer left no trace of existence puzzles the investigation team, thus they ask Nichkhun who claims to be assisted by supernatural forces. Once Nichkhun agrees and begins to find clues, chaotic situation arise that involves more than just the students.Based on the prompt: Nichkhun is a special investigator/detective working on a serial killer case. He finally finds lead to their culprit and takes the chance, but once he meets the culprit, everything goes awry. Taecyeon is the killer, but there are more surprises. (evil laughs)





	1. Chapter 1

Two years ago, an agent went rampage and killed three men suspected as members of a group of bank robbers that only a few months back he encountered. He was a very brilliant agent, top of his league, and after the incident in the bank, he got impossibly even more productive. He became the legendary agent who solved crimes better and more efficient than those whom claimed themselves detectives. It was, perhaps, a tad suspicious since the higher-ups knew the one who did all the work before he was alone: his partner and lifelong friend, Choi Seongdae. She, if possible, was the greatest agent, but she was too laidback she did not make it as best graduate when she finished her study at the academy. She, unfortunately, died during the bank robbery incident. The robbers got away. She died. He lost his mind. He tracked down the robbers and killed them all.

“Is it true that he can always dodge the bullet?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You watch over him 24/7 and you ask me?”

The woman shook her head and rolled her eyes at the notorious guard that seemingly wanted to stall her time at the monitor room instead of hurriedly doing his job as intended. She waited as the door was opening. She wished she did not have to do this, but if she didn’t, she would lose her job forever.

She stepped into a dark alley in basement floor, lamp hanging loosely on the ceiling, eerie screams and laughter and hisses coming from all directions. She walked towards the furthest room on the alley in fear; jumped at every disruption made by cell occupants she passed. She pressed the earphone on her right ear.

“Although he is mentally instable, his memories are still impeccable. He will remember you and he might hold grudge against you. Remember, don’t try to provoke him, but don’t sugar-coat your persuasion. You need him to comply.”

“I know. I’m ready for it.”

“We will watch over you.”

“I know,” the woman replied softly and calmly. She finally stopped before a clean cell with thick fibre glass cover in place of bars.

There, a young man sat on a chair with his back facing her, staring the bird-eye city scenery mural. He was tall, about 180 cm, well-built, but quite skinny. He wore the institution uniform. His hair had reached his shoulders, unlike what she remembered of him.

“Nichkhun- _ssi_ , good afternoon,” she greeted professionally. The man, however, stayed still.

*****

Stepping out of the asylum was a beautiful progress. Nichkhun smiled briefly as he was led out of the facility. He had finally agreed to the institution’s offer. Bae Suzy was in charge of him now, but it was nothing. She was still as gullible as she ever had been. Nichkhun walked into the office building that was once also his. There were new faces that he didn’t recognize. Every single person they ran into was always showing a somewhat shocked and afraid face. Everyone, except one young man.

The man approached them confidently—or more appropriately said, bravely—and casually he greeted Bae with bravado of a higher-up. Nichkhun studied him quietly. In his mind, there was no recollection of meeting the man before. Such attractive look he obviously was born with should not pass his memory if so he had at least once met.

“Agent Bae, I have been expecting your return,” he said. Bae was clearly looking down on the man. She turned away arrogantly, evading the chance of her standing face to face with the young agent.

“What do you want, Agent Jang? I’m sure you’ve been snooping around to steal my job. Am I wrong?” she acerbically responded. The other agent was equally conceited. He scoffed and, completely unfazed by the attack, replied:

“That’s true to the letter, Senior. I don’t even think of hiding it at all. Well, given the fact that everyone is aware of how incompetent you can be when it comes to the one you really have ties with.”

“You never learn your lessons!” Bae angrily said, flustered. Agent Jang, as mentioned earlier, ignored her angry fumes and focused his eyes on Nichkhun. His eyes widened, expressively exhibiting his surprise. He offered a hand to Nichkhun, which the latter accepted and shook out of courtesy.

“Could this be… no, it can’t be wrong. You must be the famous Nichkhun, our former top agent.”

“I am, although I am not entirely aware that I was _that_ famous as a _top_ agent,” Nichkhun replied disinterestedly, but politely.

“Oh, famous is an understatement, _Sunbaenim_ ,” Agent Jang said, smiling widely and ostensibly friendly, “You and your partner’s works are now classic case-study topics. Everyone here is familiar with your accomplishments.”

“I didn’t do anything spectacular,” Nichkhun said humbly as he grimly smiled. “All you read was done by my partner.” Agent Jang’s eyes darkly glinted.

“Yes, I know,” he changed his tone, outwardly parading his repugnant true feeling towards Nichkhun. “Although, _Sunbaenim_ , I can’t help but wonder why your aura feels strong and uncharacteristically intimidating—somehow reminding me of Choi Seongdae- _nim_.” His eyes moved towards empty air behind Nichkhun.

“You knew her?” Nichkhun asked, eyebrow raised.

“I am her fan. My father told me a lot about her.”

“Ah, you must be Chief Park’s eldest son, Jang Wooyoung. No wonder you look familiar to me.”

No, he did not look familiar at all to Nichkhun. Although it was quite a common knowledge around the bureau that the chief had a son whose interest was the same as his, who then had just entered the academy. The chief had been a widower for ten years by now and his children were all in custody of his ex-wife. The son’s name, however, had gained its own fame for being the most ruthless, but brilliant student. Seongdae told Nichkhun perhaps twice about him several years ago.

“You know me? What an honour,” said Jang, somewhat sarcastically.

“Seongdae mentioned your name. She was told by the chief,” Nichkhun confessed. This, however, darkened the young agent’s face.

“Of course, he told her.”

“We don’t have time for this,” Bae interjected. Despite being uncomfortable with her junior, she felt that she would be in trouble if this continued. “You can talk to him all you want any other day, Agent Jang. He is required to report to the Chief immediately.”

“Sure, excuse me,” the young agent agreed, saluting them, then strutting away.

“Let’s go,” Bae commanded. Nichkhun followed her while eyed the junior for a few more seconds before turning his head straight.

“What an odd kid.”

“He opposes the very idea of me and my partner handling the case,” Bae explained begrudgingly. “He wanted to be in, but Chief said no. He sees me as an unfit choice, especially to supervise you. You should be grateful that he spoke politely earlier. He doesn’t bother with courtesy with others.”

“He did it just because he sees Seongdae as his archrival, I suppose,” Nichkhun scoffed, shrugging.

“Even after death, she is still hogging all the attention,” mumbled Bae. Even so, Nichkhun had heard her clearly. He played the innocent act to annoy the agent.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did you say something, Miss Bae?”

“No, no. Nothing. Let’s go now.”

*****

Nichkhun left the office after half an hour of briefing. Now he was scheduled to go to the latest crime scene. Just as they were leaving the hall, they could hear two men argue hotly in the room. One of them was Agent Jang and the other was a man Nichkhun had known since his days in the academy: Kim Minjun.

“Wooyoung! Wooyoung, stop!” a tall man cried in panic. He kept jumping on his feet, completely bewildered, but it seemed that he could not interfere since he was slapped across the face by Agent Jang. He now could only watch from the side, completely dejected. Jang had launched the first punch to Kim Minjun’s face. They were now wrestling about the office, exchanging punches and headbutts.

“Minjun- _ssi_ , Minjun- _ssi_!” Bae stepped into the fistfight. Kim Minjun was her partner.

“What did happen?” Nichkhun asked the tall man.

“Oh—oh… it’s…” the tall man lost his voice as soon as he saw Nichkhun. He paled even more so than a minute ago.

“Are you all right?” Nichkhun asked, concerned.

“Yes, I am, _Sunbaenim_ ,” the man finally replied.

“Then, would you tell me what is happening right now?”

“Uh… that’s…” the man hesitated. While waiting for the explanation, Nichkhun was suddenly aware that Jang and Minjun now were merely an inch away from them. It was quite distressing and, most importantly, irritating.

“Stop it, you two!” Nichkhun shouted. He was pushed by Minjun’s back and now angered perfectly. He stepped in between them, but Jang didn’t back down. He, instead of calling it off, pulled out his gun and shot it at Nichkhun.

“What the hell did you do, Agent?!” screamed Bae on the top of her lungs.

A direct aim at Nichkhun’s forehead, clean one too, from a distance less than two meters—but the bullet fell with a chiming sound on the cold floor. All the audience was astounded, even the almost-victim himself. The tall man behind Nichkhun was paler than ever and was ready to sprint out of the room. Jang hardened his jaw.

“So it is true what they said,” he calmly concluded.

“The fuck are you spouting about? You dipshit don’t know your place! I’ll report this one to the chief!” Minjun yelled, wiping blood from his bleeding lips.

“What? I only fired the gun because it seemed like fun,” Jang said innocently. With a face like that, anyone could easily let him off the hook—if that anyone knew absolutely nothing about him.

“What’s this all about?” Chief Park himself had arrived at the scene, hands on his hip. He pointed a finger at Jang and Minjun. “You bastards! No shit, I know it was a real gun, Agent. You are coming with me to my office. You and you, _now_. Everyone else, get back to your goddamn own work!” He shook his head in disbelief and left the scene as the two agents began to walk towards his direction.

“What was it all about?” Nichkhun, calmed down, wondered loudly.

“They have always been at it since Jang is here. Both hot-headed,” Bae said. “Now shall we go?”


	2. Chapter 2

# 2

In a cheap, shabby apartment room, top floor of the building, where police line was still on, Nichkhun and Suzy walked about, assessing. Nichkhun had in his hands the dossier, open wide was the files on most recent victim, the fourth. They stopped before the bed, now minus the body. Nichkhun lifted the photograph and compared it with the real setting.

The victim was found sitting on the bed, wearing red and black frilly dress with matching bonnet, wristbands, knee-length socks and strap shoes. His face was well painted with good make-up, but the redness on his lips had spread around. His eyes closed and his head tilted to right as if he had just nodded off to sleep. A deep, round wound was seen on his left chest, blood-tainted. There was a brief illusion that the victim was a doll.

Nichkhun observed the room next, eyes sweeping everything exist in there. The room was painted pink and decorated with cute, feminine decorations despite being a narrow and shabby apartment. He read the list of items and saw that nothing had been stolen or added since the owner’s leave. He walked out of the bedroom for other rooms. The kitchenette was well kept, completely normal for a young woman, and the bathroom was spotless. There was not much mess in there except a pile of textbooks and assignment papers at one corner. He was told that this psychopath was very neat and he could see that it was true.

“Leave me now,” said Nichkhun. “I need time alone.”

“I don’t approve,” rejected Bae.

“Do you want to solve this or not?” snapped Nichkhun impatiently. “If you want me to help, leave me for now. I won’t escape if that’s what you are worried about. I am not crazy enough to jump off of fourteenth floor.” Bae looked conflicted, but she eventually agreed. As she was leaving, Nichkhun sat on the floor with legs crossed.

“Kang Yongwoon, sixteen years old, attended high school in Busan. Reported missing five days prior to the discovery. Approximated death time: twenty hours before found. Cause of death: asphyxiation. Apart from the stab to the chest, there are bruises on wrists, neck, and back of knees. All bruises are remarkably similar to rope-binding marks. His lips are somewhat bruised, too.”

“I hate to admit this, Khun- _ah_ ,” a feminine voice spoke, “but bruised lips like those can only indicate passionate—or rather, aggressive—make-out.” A translucent hand pointed at the picture of Kang Yongwoon’s face.

“Let’s take a look at other victims,” Nichkhun said, pulling out the photographs and putting them together in a line. He scrunched his nose. “Well, this is arguably similar to the previous three victims.”

“What about the apartment owner?” the feminine voice asked. Nichkhun read the files for her.

“Uh, it belongs to Park Sunmi, a college student who was visiting her parents for a week. She was the one who found the body when she arrived yesterday morning. One of her neighbours from first floor said that he saw three young men go upstairs three nights prior her arrival, but he never saw them leave. Two of those men were unmistakably students and one of them was the victim. The other one looked slightly older by two or three years, but the witness cannot remember how they looked precisely except that they were neat and clean.”

“What a modern world—no one noticed even though it happened just next door,” the voice said, chuckling ironically.

“I don’t know, Seongdae- _yah_ , but this is frustrating.”

“These freaks are so neat. They really didn’t leave anything—not even a stain. It’s obvious that the stab was post-mortem, very minimal bloodshed. Clever. What else did they say about the stab?”

“The stabbing weapon was not found anywhere, but it was confirmed that whatever it was, it did not belong in here. It was assumed to be some sort of spear, five centimetres in diameter and twenty centimetres in length. The autopsy shows that the weapon cleanly entered the chest and then was twisted before pulled out.”

“One hundred percent freak. I wonder what they wanted from doing so. To distract us, perhaps? Well, not exactly clever, but still witty. But, you know what, Khun- _ah_?” the voice stalled as a transparent lady floated away from Nichkhun, eyes observing the space. “I can’t feel any trace of psychic marks. Not even a trace of the apartment’s owner before she arrived yesterday. This psycho is probably dangerous for us both.”

“You mean,” Nichkhun stared at her with eyes wide, “they could be a danger for you, too? A ghost like you?”

“Yes, I am afraid so,” the ghost answered glumly. “How about the building owner? Is there any connection?” Nichkhun flipped through the pages of dossier.

“No, nothing. They asked around, but they didn’t find anything.”

“No, you are always weak at this, Khun,” the ghost said, floating to his side, reading the dossier on her own. “They haven’t found _the owner_. They just asked around for the proprietor, which actually are just managers, not the real building owners. Wait, the company—the real estate company that handles the building, Khun!” The ghost pointed at the logo of the buildings in printed advertisement.

“Oh, they have mentioned it here that the apartment tenants moved in rooms previously rented by other students that they somehow acquainted with—but when asked, they could not remember exactly the names or the looks of said previous renters.”

“We need that information, Khun.”

“But they can’t find any record of previous renters. Everything was somehow missing, even the managers didn’t know.”

“There’re too many loopholes.”

Nichkhun sighed. He left as the ghost lady began to meditate. He could never understand why he became the best graduate that year. He saw the scenery from the small window and realized that it was quite a sight. The view was mediocre, just common panorama for the top level occupants, nothing more than the city, but he recalled that the previous three victims were found in places with similar background scenery. The murderer must be quite aesthetic and they must be keen in doing art. What was there to add? They were meticulous and artsy, with cross-dress kink. There wasn’t any dust on the surface of everything in the room.

“I guess they are really freaks,” he mumbled.

“We need just one clue,” the ghost finally said.

“But where do we find it?”

“I have a feeling that Minjun has something.”

The ghost floated towards one of the counters, assessing thoughtfully the slight distance of its bottom to the floor. Nichkhun stood next to her, joining the investigation.

“There was something here. Just when I finally felt it, it was no longer here,” the ghost said with a sigh. “I saw Minjun picked up whatever that was before the forensics even looked into this.”

“What about we take a look at the victims’ bodies? I guess you would be able to pick up some vibe left on them?” Nichkhun proposed.

“That is not a bad idea although I am highly sceptical knowing what the psycho did to this room. We can try, though.”

So, Nichkhun wrapped up the dossier and went outside where Bae had been waiting idly. He expressed the need of him seeing the bodies and Bae didn’t deny at all. At the morgue, the forensics told Nichkhun that traces of expensive, uniquely ordered lube were found near the victims’ prostates. They had the company’s contact and even obtained the order deliver address, but it was empty when the investigators came to check.

“Too neat,” Nichkhun murmured as he waited for the ghost to fully complete her psychic sync. Honestly, Seongdae had been curiously gifted in this. In addition of having good qualities as mortal investigator, she also had supernatural gifts. Nichkhun could not help but to adore her. He could not make it this far without her.

“I can feel it,” the ghost exclaimed. “It is extremely faint, but I can pick it up from the remnants of the boys’ last moments. It was a man, early 30s. He has strong commanding character and charisma. None of these boys was able to resist him.”

“Do you want to see the address?” Nichkhun asked. The ghost nodded.

The aforementioned address led them to an empty apartment room. It was quite a luxurious room, located on one of the top floors, facing the city. It confirmed the preferences of the murderer. As other investigators were not allowed to enter the apartment, the ghost Nichkhun brought with him could easily enter it. She reported that a big mail box was installed inside, with a coded trap door on the outside. They had known from the lube company that their couriers were always given a one-time code to open the door and put the package into it.

“This is truly pricy. Our freak must be very rich,” Nichkhun uttered. Bae snorted mockingly.

“If that’s all you can conclude, then we won’t need your assistance anymore.”

“Don’t be smug, Miss Bae. If you were that smart, you would have cracked this case before the fourth victim was found. There is a thirty-four-day gap between the third and fourth victim. I have just started today,” Nichkhun said sharply. Bae turned purple. She stepped away with an excuse to grab a coffee while Nichkhun met the man responsible for the purchase of the apartment, who agreed to once again be interrogated by an agent.

The apartment was bought under the name Ha Minah, but the real estate agent confessed to have never seen the buyer—it was a man called Ji Myungsoo that attended the matter since the call. The man claimed to be the representative of Ha Minah’s; hence he handled everything from A to Z, fully trusted for his fair judgement. Certainly the real estate agent was not convinced at first, but he showed legal papers on the matter so they left it at that and proceeded without further ado. The previous investigators even had tried to contact the man, but it never went through. When they tried to catch him at his listed office and home, what they found was a man named Park Youngjae, his wife was indeed Ha Minah, but they were a middle-class couple that could only dream of purchasing such apartment.

“I will leave you now,” said Bae as they entered the living space the bureau granted Nichkhun with. It was just a mediocre apartment room with CCTV installed in every room and alarms on the door and window. “Tomorrow we will go to the forensics again. Be ready at 8. Good night.”

She left. Nichkhun shed off his jacket and carelessly let it fall on the floor. He threw himself on the bed, feeling tired. The ghost flew gracefully and sat down on the bed.

“This man is slick,” Nichkhun mumbled.

“You can say that again. We need to enter the system, Khun. He might be clever, but he can’t evade from being listed in the system. After all he needs to live in our country. If he is over 30, then we can safely assume that he had completed the conscription.”

“But can we even identify him without any clue of his physique?”

“That’s why we must find a clue first. Although tracing all the names mentioned strangely in everything we read in the dossier might lead us to somewhere, I reckon.”

“You can do it, Songdae- _yah_ ,” Nichkhun said. “You can do it. You always do.”

“Stupid bozo,” the ghost purred, “You still have to help me. I’m dead.” She was making a fun of Nichkhun and now the living one sulked, turning his back on her and pouting hard like a baby.

“I’m alive and I suck.”

“You were the valedictorian,” the ghost teased.

“Thanks for the reminder. I’m going to sleep now.”

“Eat first, silly. This might be the only time you get to eat something you cook with you own hands.”

“Too lazy. Tomorrow.” Nichkhun waved his hand, dismissing the suggestion. The ghost put her chin on her wrist, looking at the human before her with deep concern.

“If you were not so good-looking and cute, Khun- _ah_ , I don’t think anyone other than me would even bother to pay attention to you.”

“I don’t need anyone. I just need my sister,” Nichkhun snapped. He quickly rolled and landed his face on the ghost’s thigh. It wouldn’t be seen or felt by anyone else, but it still felt as if it was of flesh and bone, only cooler. The ghost sighed and patted him on the head.

“You always make me worried, Brother. How could I die before you?”

“You did, though.”

“My fault.”

“No, it was never your fault.” The cold tone rose again to the surface, making the ghost grimaced at it.

“Now, now, we are not going to talk about this again. We have more important matters at hand. If you are going to sleep, then sleep. Don’t dwell on it anymore, my dear.”

With a hum, the living mortal drifted off to sleep while the once mortal slipped away from him. She floated towards the dossier and reread every item in there again. She did not actually enjoy this kind of job, but it thrilled her, even after death. She mumbled with a hint of joy:

“It is so much better when you become an undead investigator. You no longer need sleep. Investigations always took up most of break-time I could afford. I suppose being a ghost has its perks. I just can’t use electronics anymore—which I direly need, too—but as long as I have printouts, everything will be fine.”


	3. Chapter 3

# 3

Hwang Chansung sighed deeply as he climbed up the stairs. He had high hopes when he entered the academy, but now he was devastated. His partner was a total jerk—brilliant, but still a jerk. His partner, Jang Wooyoung, was obsessed over their senior, Choi Seongdae, who was killed in action. Solving a case bigger than the Emperor case she cracked with her partner, Nichkhun, three years ago was Wooyoung’s lifetime wish. Now that such a problem had arisen, he tried so hard to snatch it from the ones assigned by the chief. Honestly, Chansung was perfectly content with menial tasks he was assigned with, such as tailing a cheating husband and collecting evidence or escorting some famous person’s daughters from the airport—but his partner was not satisfied with it. Really, Chansung knew there was still a long way until they would be given more serious case, after all, they had just graduated a couple of months ago. He shoved a mouthful of spicy rice cakes into his big mouth and chewed devastatingly.

He remembered again the unexpected interaction with Nichkhun. He was totally horrified by what he saw. No one else seemed to notice—or even feel it—but Chansung swore he wasn’t hallucinating. Nichkhun was accompanied by a translucent woman who was unmistakably Choi Songdae. He would say that he was crazy, but the more he stared at the lady, the lady seemed even more real than before. The woman wore the same clothes from the day she was killed, but flawless. The coat, strapped neatly around the waist, hung just slightly below the knees. The gloves, the trousers, and the bloody expensive boots only she would ever buy and wear to kick people on the butt, leaving scratches on the supposedly meticulously cared surface. Yes, Chansung remembered every detail because he had to and now he sort of regretted it. The transparent Choi Songdae realized that Chansung could see her and she waved and smiled at him. He sighed again.

He was now at his apartment hall, but his neighbour was standing the middle of the hall, unmoving. Chansung walked up to him.

“Hey, Jungsoo, what are you doing?” he asked.

“You… you are with the police, aren’t you?” the neighbour asked back dazedly. His eyes were fixed on the floor before him.

“Well, yeah, what can I do for you?” Chansung offered in between his unending chewing. He innocently looked forward. His heart stopped and the spicy rice cakes box in his hand fell to the ground. Chansung never dropped his food, but this just shocked him to the bone.

“He—help!” a young man croaked from the floor. It was unmistakably a miracle. A young man in French maid dress was on the verge of his consciousness, but he was alive.

“You stay here with him,” Chansung said, fishing out his phone and immediately starting a call with shaking hand. The suspense as he waited for the call to be picked up was no kidding. When it finally was picked up, he practically screamed to the phone, “Chief! I found another one—he… they… that freak…! The artsy freak, Chief, has tried to kill again, but he failed!”

*****

The fifth victim was luckily saved from being strangled to death. He was just several seconds away from eternal sleep when strangled by his kidnapper. As usual, the oddest part of the victims’ bodies was the lack of _real_ mark on their necks. There only was rope mark around it, but the rope was never found. It was impossible to even decipher what kind of rope the freak used to bind their victim. The forensics could identify that the used rope was all the same, but its characteristics did not match anything they had ever seen anywhere. It was almost like the rope was made of glass with perfectly smooth surface, but of course they would not believe the culprit brought _glass_ with them everywhere and disappeared without a trace. There was a talk of some sort of polymer rope, but there hadn’t been any conclusion. This one, who survived the strangling, had all the marks minus the stab, but he could hardly speak when found and brought to hospital. He had difficulty to breath, as if something was still asphyxiating him although there was nothing as such on him that moment.

They noted that the supposedly next crime scene was Chansung’s neighbour’s apartment. The neighbour was thought to be leaving for his hometown and was not expected to come back in a week or so, but he suddenly showed up that evening—he was already halfway to his hometown on a train, but then he stopped and went back because he had forgotten an important gift he wanted to give to his mother. The unexpected return failed the attempt, but somehow the culprit escaped in such short duration.

“The miraculous son’s love for his mother saved the victim, huh?” Chief Park sardonically said as he observed the unconscious victim, Kim Bumsoo, on his hospital bed.

“Did you saw anyone that time when you got back to your apartment?” Minjun asked Chansung, who looked hopeless and guilty all of a sudden.

“No,” the younger agent said, “I only saw five male students leaving the building together before that. I have seen them all before. Two of them live in the building with their parents.”

“They didn’t leave any trace of their existence again—how is that even possible when the victim was on the loose?” Minjun scrunched his face in frustration.

“All we can do now is to wait for Kim Bumsoo to wake up and begin questioning him about the incident,” the Chief decided, folding his arms in defeat. He leaned on the wall beneath the glass and turned his eyes on Minjun. “You go and tell that guy about what you found the other day. He might be able to crack something out of that.”

“Sure, Chief,” Minjun said with a sigh, straightening up his body. “Do you want him to see the apartment, too?”

“Do whatever he asks you,” replied the Chief.

“Roger.”

*****

Kim Minjun stepped out of the car and looked up to where the _dangerous_ agent was supposed to be living. He saw the window’s curtain was open and there his eyes met with the man’s, who looked as if he was expecting for Minjun’s arrival. He clicked his tongue and proceeded to enter the building. His partner was waiting for him in front of the door.

“How was the victim?” Bae interrogated immediately.

“Another male, Kim Bumsoo, 17, platinum blond hair, 174 cm, 49 kg, known as an idol company trainee, survived but still unconscious,” Minjun said without a hitch. Bae stepped forward and unlocked the door for them.

“Did anyone see the suspects?”

“We’re still working on that.”

“Hey, we’ve got a fresh addition,” Bae announced. “Get ready, we are leaving for the crime scene now.” Nichkhun was still in his sleeping attire, but it was obvious that he had been awake for at least three hours prior. He sipped the coffee in his mug and casted his stare at Minjun rather than Bae Suzy.

“Hey, Minjun, can you hand over the files first before we talk about the fifth?” Nichkhun asked blatantly, ignoring Bae effectively. Minjun was baffled, but he handed over to Nichkhun the folder he was holding in his right hand.

“Wait, what’s this, Minjun- _ssi_?” Bae abruptly intervened, attempting to stop the transfer. She obviously was insulted, feeling that her authority was violated.

“It’s from the Chief,” Minjun calmly said, removing Bae’s hand from the folder as he was letting Nichkhun to accept the files.

“How is the Chief letting him know something before I do?”

“Your task is to supervise him and get this case solved, not solving the case. I’m investigating, you guard him,” coldly Minjun told his supposedly partner. Bae’s face turned incredibly red, but she said nothing in return.

Nichkhun, paying no heed to the clashing partners, sat on the breakfast table and began reading the files he was given. The files described a piece of movie ticket, a premiere for the opening night. The purchaser was known to be a regular, so it was said in the files. The name was Han Taekyung. The amount of purchase was two, but understandably there was no solid evidence about who attended the movie anyway since it was quite a crowd.

“I think I have seen this name before,” the ghost said, but only Nichkhun could hear her. The ghost floated away and pointed a finger at the dossier left on the bed. Nichkhun bolted to the bed before the ghost procured the dossier herself and freaked the hell out of these lowlifes. He flipped through the pages until the ghost told him to stop. On the page she referred, there was indeed Han Taekyung mentioned—one of the apartment buildings’ proprietors.

“Yes, we can go from here I suppose, Khun,” the ghost said cheerfully.

“This is a good lead,” Nichkhun uttered, drawing attention from the two investigators instantly. Minjun stood and bowed on his right, hand supporting him on the table.

“What is it?” Minjun demanded.

“This man we can track down. The proprietor Han Taekyung.”

“No good,” Bae interrupted, arms folded. “He’s quit that job a month ago, just a week before the victim was found in that building.”

“But he worked there before; certainly there are some documents about him?”

“They lost everything, just like the documents of former occupants of that room.”

“Then it is obvious that he must be somehow involved—or maybe he is an important witness. Either way, we must find him,” Nichkhun insisted. Minjun sighed.

“Let’s go out, then,” he said, “I’ll investigate that man for you while you take a look at the latest crime scene.”

He straightened up and leered at his partner, who openly glared at him for singlehandedly deciding Nichkhun’s schedule. She, surely, was against this kind of attitude, but Kim had made it as clear as a summer’s day that she was not in position to question him right now. The ghost was amused and told Nichkhun:

“The tension is slowly killing me—yet, I am dead.”

*****

Bae refused to leave the car as they arrived at the scene. Kim Minjun easily forwent and did his part to investigate the name. It was his speciality. He was inarguably one of the best search-engine-in-flesh at the bureau. He could find nearly everything. He began to look about the net using his computer and do many calls on his phone. Nichkhun went up on his own—as mere mortals saw—and entered the referred apartment room, where the forensic team was still around, as busy as ever. The Chief was not there, but the press had arrived, shun away, but persistently returning.

“Lunatics,” Nichkhun said as he was gazing through the window, watching the maniacs with cameras and notebooks trying to squeeze out every piece of information from anyone who came out and in.

“You should be assessing the scene, Khun, not those news chasers,” scolded the ghost who was now haunting the forensics and their data.

“Wait, Seongdae- _yah_ , look at that kid,” Nichkhun said, suspicion arising. The ghost floated to his side, following Nichkhun’s finger.

At the yard, a male student walked surreptitiously. He looked like any other student from where they watched. His existence was very plain that no one stopped him as he walked across the yard, blending into the crowd of reporters. The ghost disappeared and reappeared at the yard. Nichkhun abandoned the scene, sprinting out of the room.

“You should have said something before you disappeared, _Noonim_ ,” he mumbled.

“Hey! Where’d you think you are going?” Minjun caught him by the arm when he was passing through front hall.

“I saw someone suspicious outside! Come on!” Nichkhun urgently explained, pulling Minjun with him. The agent stumbled, definitely powerless against Nichkhun’s brawny strength. He nicked the laptop he left open on the front desk and followed Nichkhun.

They ran together towards the waiting condors outside. Minjun was lost in the black ocean while Nichkhun and what was left of his top agility eventually made it through. He could not see his ghost sister or the kid, so he just ran straight. He caught a glimpse of a figure with similar silhouette as the student they pursued. Nichkhun turned sharply into the alley, following the figure.

“Khun- _ah_! Wrong! Go to an alley ahead!” the ghost’s voice snapped inside Nichkhun’s skull. He halted immediately and pivoted. He followed the instruction and abandoned the alley. Therefore, Nichkhun couldn’t find anyone there.

“Seongdae- _yah_?” Nichkhun called out.

“I lost him!” the ghost yelled next to the man’s ear, startling the life out of him.

“What? How? You never lost anyone on real life pursuit, how could you lose him as a ghost who can teleport?”

“I have no idea either!” the ghost shouted in frustration. Suddenly a blast was heard and black smoke rose to the sky.

“What…” Nichkhun dazedly mumbled.

“That’s where we parked the car!” the ghost shouted.

Nichkhun dashed back towards the building, but then he ran into Minjun, whose arm and leg were bent at the alley. He was writhing in pain, but his voice would not come out, instead clots of blood did come out through his open mouth. Nichkhun saw a glimpse of an escaping shadow at the far end of the alley, but he didn’t chase it. He chose to help him first to get to the ambulance—where he heard that Agent Bae did not survive the explosion.


	4. Chapter 4

# 4

Back then in the academy, Nichkhun had befriended a man who was born and raised in the States, but he came back to the country because his parents died and he was requested to live here by his immediate family. He was Nichkhun’s first friend after he lost contact with Seongdae.

Nichkhun himself was an orphan, but he was then adopted. He was the biggest coward and the weakest, first target of bullies, especially because he was smaller and younger than anyone else. Seongdae was the biggest bully, she stood above all other bullies, and yet she chose to protect Nichkhun. She was Nichkhun’s big sister, although she was actually younger than he was by six months. His adoptive parents, however, cut off the communication between him and Seongdae, which led to Nichkhun leaving them at will.

“So, this is where you are hiding these days, huh, Jay?” Nichkhun said, looking about the dim, greasy garage he was entering. A man slid out of beneath the car.

“Don’t tease me, Seongdae- _yah_ , I am still working on this car,” scolded the man. The ghost floated away and giggled mischievously. She had just tugged at the man’s pants when they arrived.

“You ran away from the bureau, didn’t you?” asked Jay, the man, towelling grease off his face. He walked towards a couch at the side, gesturing Nichkhun to follow. Jay opened the refrigerator at the corner and took out two cans of beer.

“Suzy died,” Nichkhun started. Jay’s hand stopped midway from handing Nichkhun the can of beer.

“I saw on TV,” Jay said, sighing. He put the beer on Nichkhun’s thigh and drank his share in big gulps. “You don’t think it was the psycho who set it up, do you?”

“Minjun is still at the hospital too. I don’t know who attacked him,” Nichkhun said, gulping down the beer.

“I have an idea who it was,” Jay inputted.

“You do?” Nichkhun, surprised, asked.

“I saw a glimpse of the culprit. The strangest thing happened whenever I chased them down: they disappeared!” the ghost intruded, sounding extremely angry at the memory. Jay chuckled.

“You’re chasing a truly bad egg, guys, but I think I can help you, stoneheads,” Jay snorted to himself. “Look, I did leave the bureau, but before that, I had an apprentice. Bad detective, good cop. I heard he was the one who found the latest victim.”

“Eh?”

“Ah, that naïve kid!” the ghost barged in happily. “I like him, but he is really not lucky. So, that kid was the one you were looking after, huh? You never told me.”

“Seongdae- _yah_ , you practically stalked everyone, how did you fail to know that?”

“Well, I’m sorry, perhaps you are not worth my time?”

“I still want to punch you, you know.”

“Too bad, I’m dead, Jay, and you can only communicate with me, no touching.”

“It’s unfair. You cost me a girlfriend.”

“ _Ex_ girlfriend,” corrected the ghost smugly. Nichkhun waved his hands urgently.

“Okay, okay, back to the topic. This case isn’t cracking on its own. I don’t know whether Minjun had gathered enough information or not before attacked, but the reality is we can’t count on him right now. His laptop was gone when I found him. The phone was, too. The only hope was to talk to him and the surviving victim, but I think it will take too long. So, what are our options?”

Jay stared at Nichkhun’s face with a contemplative expression. He turned to the ghost, saying: “Eh, Khunnie is pretty fired up right now. Have you seen him like this before?”

“He’s actually getting good at being detective, Jay, don’t mock him,” the ghost said.

“Come on, I need your help here!” Nichkhun barked.

“Sure, sure,” Jay said, chuckling, “I suggest you find Hwang Chansung first.”

“What about Jang Wooyoung?” Nichkhun asked. Jay waved his hand and shook his head disapprovingly.

“I won’t trust him. He’s obsessed with you, Seongdae- _yah_. He is pretty twisted, too. Best choice is to stay clear from him.”

“Okay, then, but I don’t think we could dig through Chansung for the time being—we are here because we need you to search, you are the best after all,” the ghost said. Jay nodded, knowing that it would always come to that point. She frowned then spoke to Nichkhun, “Wait, do you have the dossier with you now? Show it to Jay.”

Nichkhun did as she said. Earlier, Seongdae went back to the apartment where they left the dossier, and afterwards they surreptitiously sought Jay, completely ignoring the rules they were bound with. At the additional notes Nichkhun put in the dossier, Jay frowned hard.

“This man, you suspected him to be connected to the culprit?”

“Strong suspicion,” Nichkhun answered.

Jay frowned harder and tilted his head. He rose from the couch and stepped into the house. Nichkhun and his companion followed closely. Jay turned his working desk on. For a gamer, it would look like the ultimate gaming desk, with three monitors, snack and drink holders within arm-reach, best mouse, best headphones, and best graphic interface. As a matter of fact, that was what Jay had been doing with the computer these days, but today he would be using it for something he was best at. He began smoothly and the guests were waiting idly at his back.

“Let me see. I don’t know if I can find anything, though.”

“Come on, if you can’t find it, who else will? You’re number one perpetrator, the ghost that defies every door and wall of systems!” Nichkhun said excitedly.

“I wish I could hack into systems without tracked,” the ghost said amiably.

“Try not kicking down every door and wall as you enter, Seongdae- _yah_. You are never subtle with the system, of course they detected you right away,” scolded Jay. He kept his eyes on his computer’s main monitor, clicking and typing, and mostly clicking.

“I wish I was wrong, but apparently I was right. This man’s name is unmistakably nothing more than fake, fictional. It would take me about a day straight to track down the real name. In the meantime, I can console you with a piece of information. There is one name that comes out along with his numerous fictional names: Lee Junho.”

“Lee Junho?”

“This kid might be slick, but he is still traceable because he is still a student. He is really social. He has a lot of friends and he knows too many good looking guys. Why do I point a finger at him? Here, a picture of him with the first victim. It might look like he was just a normal party-goer who then took a picture with this group, but you can see it, can’t you, Ghost Detective?” Jay showed them an SNS page belonged to no other than the first victim. He scrolled and pointed at a group picture with the owner in the middle. It inarguably looked like a harmless birthday party at a restaurant—the caption read: “Best friends!! Happy birthday, Lee Junho!”

“What?” Nichkhun was clueless.

“He was engaging in person, but he was also pretty easy to miss for strangers. He was the one celebrating, but he wasn’t tagged—meaning that this kid didn’t know Junho’s account or Junho just doesn’t have one, either way, he was already considered as a best friend by the victim.”

“How did you know, Seongdae- _yah_?”

“Shush!”

“As sharp as when you were alive,” Jay cooed, scrolling even further. “Oh, look. I guess your assumption is true.”

“What? How?” Nichkhun demanded explanation.

“Look, this kid always shared his social pictures. Everyone in there appeared more than once—except with the celeb ones—and isn’t it weird that someone you call one of your best friends just appeared once?” Ghost Seongdae explained promptly. Nichkhun blinked.

“What if the friend is just shy?” he asked. The ghost and Jay sighed simultaneously.

“Now, how can we contact him?” The ghost investigator wondered.

“Wait, what?” Nichkhun and Jay asked this, shocked, at the same time. The ghost shrugged and floated away from them, deep in thought. She then explained:

“This freak preys on boys, ranged from 16 to 19 years old, that look good in girl’s clothes. I am sure Lee Junho is his accomplice, the one who lures the prey. This is very risky, but I think Khun can pass.”

“You want me to give myself in?” Nichkhun asked, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“Well, I must agree with Seongdae,” Jay said. “It’s very dangerous, but if you succeed, this case will be solved forever and there will be no more victims. If we plan this right, everyone will be safe. Especially, we have Seongdae with us. She is a ghost, what harm could they do to her?”

“Wait, Seongdae- _yah_ ,” Nichkhun interjected with a hand in the air, “you said that this psycho is dangerous even for you!”

“I said ‘probably’,” the ghost calmly corrected her partner, dismissing the worries. It just so happened that Choi Seongdae always preferred to take the path that no one would pick it as the first option. She expounded, “As far as I am concerned, if erasing psychic traces is what he could do, he wouldn’t do any harm on me. I came back with my own powers, I am confident that I can at least teleport you if things go awry, but if you think we shouldn’t…”

“No, we should— _must_ ,” Nichkhun cut in hastily. He might not be the brain of the team, but he was always up for the riskiest challenge. After all, since Seongdae became a ghost, he was nearly invincible. He took advantages from his partner, sure he did, but it was what Seongdae wanted when she returned. They did not solve crimes for justice—they solved them for the thrill of their lives (stupid, but useful duo).

“Jaebeom- _hyung_! Jaebeom- _hyung_! Are you home?”

The voice came from the garage. Jay rose to his feet, gesturing his mortal guest to remain where he was. He stepped into the garage, finding Chansung stand in there. Ghost Seongdae followed their host, frowned together with Jay as they found Hwang Chansung wasn’t alone. Jang Wooyoung was with him.

“Oh, hi, Chansung- _ah_ , how’s life?” Jay greeted casually.

“I’m… I’m good… I—I guess,” Chansung stuttered. His eyes flickered with fear, they shifted timely from Jay to Seongdae. He was afraid of ghost, Jay concluded as he decided to play the innocent, supernaturally powerless guy.

“So, what’s brought you here? Beer?” Jay said, opening his fridge and lifting a can of beer. Chansung seemed to be ready to accept, but his partner abruptly rejected the offer.

“We’re here to pick up Nichkhun- _ssi_ ,” Jang curtly said.

“Oh, why do you think he would be here?” Jay asked, popping open the can of beer and gulping it down calmly.

“You are the only person he would trust,” Jang answered plainly.

“Oh, well. Khun- _ah_! Your escort is here!”

Nichkhun stepped out into the garage, wearing his neutral face. He did not make any comment and just walked towards the juniors. He bid Jay goodbye and entered the car. Chansung was driving and Wooyoung was on his side. Nichkhun observed the taller one. He looked on edge. He leered to his side. His ghost partner was openly staring at the guy, grinning. She was totally running her mischievous gears right now.

“Say, are you two now supervising me?” Nichkhun asked to break the ice.

“No,” Wooyoung said, “We are assigned to look after you and assist you. We are not experienced enough to _supervise_ you.” The tone he used was somewhat begrudging.

“Ah,” Nichkhun said, fishing out a printout of a zoomed picture of Lee Junho from his pocket, showing it to Wooyoung, “Can you find a way to contact this boy?” Wooyoung took the paper.

“This boy?”

“Yes, his name is Lee Junho. I gathered information that he is somehow related to Han Taekyung, the man I highly suspected as an important key to the case.”

“Do you know how many people named Lee Junho in this country?” sardonically Wooyoung asked.

“So, you can’t?” Nichkhun challenged with underestimating tone.

“Yes, I can,” Wooyoung snapped. “But what are you going to do once I find him?”

“I will go undercover as a student,” Nichkhun said.

“Oh, you will? Can you pass as a student, though?” Wooyoung challenged.

“Sure,” Nichkhun coolly said.

“What did Chief say about this?” Chansung, the ever righteous, asked the just the right question. Ghost Seongdae cooed at his question, as if the young agent was the most adorable thing in the world. She always liked virtuous younger agents, no matter how bad or good they were at being agents because it was a total opposite of herself. Nichkhun held back the need to roll his eyes at this and just replied it: “I haven’t talked to him about this.”

*****

“I don’t approve this,” Chief Park rejected flatly as soon as Nichkhun finished his explanation. “It’s too dangerous.”

“But if I succeed, we will find a major lead to pin down the culprit. Come on, Chief, you have been working on this case for five months. Five victims—do you want to wait for the sixth, seventh, eighth… who knows how many more will be!”

The chief clenched his jaw, walking back and fro behind his desk. The ghost floated around the room, curiously peeking through the stored classified data. The chief, then, slammed his hands on the desk, and with a deep sigh, said:

“Okay, you got my permission.”

“Great—”

“But!” the chief stopped Nichkhun from saying anything, “But with one condition: you will have a tracker planted on you and you will have spy-cam with you.”

“Okay, you’re the boss,” Nichkhun accepted without so much thought. His partner was shaking her head, openly opposing his thoughtlessness. The chief dismissed Nichkhun and proceeded to debrief the junior duo about the plan.

It did not take more than a few hours until Jang delivered a phone to Nichkhun, an unbelievably childish one—with sparkly glitters and red-green dice phonestrap. At least the case was red—that Nichkhun could agree on. He asked Jang about Chansung, but he only said that Chansung was now in turn to guard Kim Bumsoo, so Nichkhun gave up trying to dig into it—Jang looked like he was not going to let Nichkhun talk to Chansung alone.

Nichkhun studied his new phone. There the contact they were looking for and Jang had done the introduction and first approach, all Nichkhun had to do was follow the flow. The phone contained at least 50 contacts and all appeared on his chatting services, proving that they were real people (or just automatic bots, really). Jang even elaborately made SNS accounts for him—posting several old pictures of Nichkhun from his academy years, but mostly black and white scenery pictures.

“He is really good, actually,” Nichkhun commented. “He made it so real.”

“The identity, though, what’s your name again?” the ghost asked.

“Moon William—because I don’t look like Korean, huh?”

“Okay, William, let’s see how long it will take until Lee Junho is interested in you.”

So, they waited. During the wait, Nichkhun had tried to contact Chansung, but every time he did, Jang was always with Chansung and he would dodge the questions Nichkhun delivered. It was impossible to get through the Jang barrier, which only made his ghost companion suspicious. She might be able to talk to Chansung, but the young agent was frightened to death whenever Seongdae was around, so it was not even a wise option.

Nichkhun did not have to do much because the kid seemed to take instant interest in him (well, he was considered beautiful). It only took three days for Lee Junho to finally drop the idea to meet up with Nichkhun, well, William. He informed the bureau promptly and immediately there was a tracker planted on his left thigh. Wearing fashionable casual teen-ish clothes, he went alone to the café. He looked around timidly until a familiar face stood up from the corner, waving at him. Nichkhun smiled and waved back. He walked over to the sofa and sat across the other.

“You looked really handsome in pictures, but in real life you are even more handsome, Will. Are you for real?” Lee Junho began, completely in awe. Nichkhun smiled shyly—he was supposed to be a shy guy who spent most of his time alone, but currently trying to get a date (which he found it real hard because he was only into guys).

“Thanks,” Nichkhun said.

“Oh, order anything you want—you are younger than me, I’ll pay,” Junho said excitedly. Nichkhun did as he wanted. They then talked for about two hours before Junho offered him to go for a walk. Junho walked him “home” before ten because Nichkhun said his parents’ would not be amused if he came home later than that.

“That was normal,” Ghost Seongdae commented. “He is really into you, Khun.”

“At least he is not the grabby type,” Nichkhun said, shivered. He put off the spy-cam and changed his clothes. “He really looks normal and sound like any other normal student.”

“I think you should at least kiss him before we get any clue.”

“My first kiss…” Nichkhun lamented.

“Didn’t you kiss me on the lips that day you were adopted?”

“Well...”

Then, the second date was at the movies. Everything was normal, except the fact they were sitting at the highest lane, generally known as the lovers’ lane—where lovers got to do dirty things. Nichkhun was feeling edgy, especially because they were watching horror film. Lee Junho didn’t do anything rash, though—not until the jump-scares began. He grasped Nichkhun’s hand like any other cliché things that were expected to happen. Ghost Seongdae kept telling Nichkhun to endure and join the act. In the end, Nichkhun did and he felt ashamed of himself—Junho kept teasing him afterwards that he was actually pretty aggressive despite claiming to be shy. Nichkhun threw his jacket angrily to the floor as soon as he arrived at the apartment.

“I can’t, _Noonim_ , I can’t! Just take over my body next time he wants a date. I can’t stand this anymore!”

“Now, now, Khun,” the ghost said, massaging Khun’s shoulders, “I have never done such practices, okay? I am technically a human out of her flesh, Khun.”

“But!”

“I have a feeling that next time he invites you, it will be the time your work paid off.”

“Fine, I’ll listen to you. I just can’t if he asks me anything like earlier.”

“What? Because you clung to him?”

“Don’t remind me.”

But, then, at that fated Saturday morning, Lee Junho sent out a map and a message to Nichkhun: “Come to my house. My parents won’t be home until Monday.”


	5. Chapter 5

# 5

It was as expected, the apartment building where Lee Junho said he was living with his parents was inarguably handled by the same company and Han Taekyung’s name once again resurfaced. Ghost Seongdae kept asking Nichkhun to contact Jay because she wanted updates—but Nichkhun kept saying that if Jay had any information, he would find them. Nichkhun was nervous.

“Number 51, right?” he murmured, looking at the rooms’ numbers. He inhaled deeply and pushed the button. The door was opened in no time. Lee Junho greeted him with a bright smile. Nichkhun returned the smile nervously.

“Come in, Will.”

Ghost Seongdae followed—but as the door closed, she hit the door, unable to pass through. She panicked.

*****

Jay spent the entire week tracking down the man behind the name Han Taekyung. It was truly hard. He had never seen anyone like this. It was far too tight—then, Chansung casually walked into his office room, claiming that he hadn’t answered after being called for more than ten minutes.

“What are you working on, _Hyung_?” Chansung asked.

“What are you doing here, dolt?” Jay asked back.

“I’m on my day-off.”

“Really? I thought you are responsible to assist Khun.”

“No, it’s mostly Wooyoung’s job.”

Jay stopped and turned his swivelling chair. He looked at the tall man with hard stare, making the much younger agent sweat nervously.

“I—I don’t know, _Hyung_. Wooyoung never told me anything. He only asked me about your place and that’s all he ever asked me to do since we became partners. I… I think he is up to something bad, _Hyung_ , but he put my parents at gunpoint. He told me if I attempted to stalk him again, he would have my parents killed.”

“Chansung- _ah_ … I have always been worried about you. I hope you ask the chief to change partner—even though your current partner is his brilliant son,” Jay said, sighing deeply. “Wait, when did you stalk him?”

“That day when Suzy- _ssi_ died in explosion and Minjun- _ssi_ attacked. We were supposed to stay at the hospital, watching over the victim, but he left, again. I tailed him and found him in front of Nichkhun- _ssi_ ’s apartment where they parked the car. I was almost discovered—but I finally was, when he arrived at the crime scene.”

“He went to the crime scene?”

“Yes. He followed Nichkhun- _ssi_ and Minjun- _ssi_. He threatened me after that. I saw him with a laptop he didn’t have with him before.”

“Why didn’t you tell them anything, Chansung- _ah_? This is very important!” Jay yelled. He ruffled his hair in frustration.

“Sorry, _Hyung_ ,” Chansung said. “I am worried about my parents.”

“I understand,” Jay said, patting the younger man at the arm. He, then, returned to his computer, considering starting from scratch using Lee Junho as lead. Chansung suddenly yelled.

“Why are you screaming?!”

“Why are you looking at Junho’s picture?”

“Why—what?”—Jay raised his eyebrows—“You know him?”

“Yeah, he’s Wooyoung’s half brother!”

“Half brother!” Jay screamed. “God, I wasted a week to look for something that has always been below my nose!”

He, then, was drowned in his clicking and typing work for another hour, when finally he screamed on the top of his lungs: “OH MY GOD! KHUN’S IN DANGER!” He bolted outside where Chansung was lounging at the sofa.

“What?”

“The man they are facing can’t be beaten—no chance!”

“Who?”

“The Beast-Man!”

“…You mean that mysterious ghost fighter who never shows his face or reveal his name to public?”

“Exactly that. I still don’t know who he actually is, but it’s enough to know that he is behind all these,” Jay groaned. “Jang Wooyoung is an accomplice along with Lee Junho. He sets this up, I don’t know exactly what he is planning, but it’s a fight they can’t win.”

“They?” Chansung asked.

“You saw her, didn’t you?” Jay said. He walked to Chansung, tightly grasped the strong arms. He begged, “Go, Chansung- _ah_ , you know where they are. Go and save Khun, please. Please, if no one wants to help you, just go by yourself. You can do it. I’ll protect your parents. I can protect your parents, Chansung- _ah_ , I’m stronger than your partner.”

“O—okay. Okay, _Hyung_ , I trust you,” Chansung said.

“Wait, use my vest.”

*****

“You will not be able to enter, Choi Seongdae- _nim_ ,” a voice mocked. Seongdae turned and wildly charged towards the source, which was no other than Jang Wooyoung. She got him by the neck, pinning him to the wall across the room, but he was laughing. She suddenly understood everything.

“… _I’m sure you’ve been snooping around to steal my job…_ ”

“… _saw three young men go upstairs three nights prior her arrival, but he never saw them leave. Two of those men were unmistakably students and one of them was the victim._ ”

“You! You take a part in this, don’t you?” demanded Seongdae.

“Please, humour me, _Sunbaenim_ ,” Wooyoung dared with a grin.

“You assist Lee Junho, don’t you? Your mother married a man named Lee, with whom she had been having an affair with for eight years before the divorce, but you asked to retain your mother’s surname. She was pregnant with your half-brother and claimed it to be Chief Park’s son, but then she admitted the lies and they split. Lee Junho is that son, isn’t he?”

“Congratulations, _Sunbaenim_ , although I must confess that it is rather disappointing that you only figured it out now,” Wooyoung said with a mocking smile. Seongdae slammed Wooyoung harder to the wall.

“What is your intention?!”

“Simple,” Wooyoung said coolly, “Junho’s master wants a perfect partner. Junho wants to please his master, so he has been looking for that, but his master is very picky. He ended up killing them because they could not withstand his fetish. Well, their bodies can’t.”

“So, you planned to keep this up until they find what they want?”

“Yeah, pretty much. I’m going to find some random people and turn them in as culprits, but it’s only possible if I handle the case.”

“So you removed the officially assigned ones, huh?” Seongdae asked. “So, what had Minjun found? You deleted everything, didn’t you?”

“It’s obvious—he was suspicious with me. He immediately searched with me in the list. He found that I am Han Taekyung—I can’t let you know that—you friend, Jaebeom, might be able to find it, but he wouldn’t suspect me immediately because he has been cut off of the bureau since he left, so I let you two meet him.”

“You bastard!” Seongdae launched a punch at Wooyoung, but he dodged with a flick of his ring. Seongdae groaned in pain.

“You can’t harm me, _Sunbaenim_. Junho’s master is the strongest when it comes to _undead people_.” He smiled widely.

“Why are you doing this? Are you not thinking of your mother? You can’t run away with this. There’s a surviving victim and Minjun!”

“That victim will never be able to give any clue, _Sunbaenim_. He was set loose. His mind was wrecked. The last piece of sanity he had was gone with the little ask for help that Chansung heard. Kim Minjun will not be able to give sound answer. He will always be judged as biased because he always picked up fights with me.”

“You… why don’t you put your brilliant mind into something better? Your mother must be very sad.”

“Oh, _Sunbaenim_ , my mother has been long dead. Junho’s master killed her years ago,” Wooyoung said with a manic smile. It was clear now why they turned out like this. They were raised by a psycho.

“I see.”

Seongdae leered at the closed door. She floated elsewhere, looking for an opening, but every wall surrounding the apartment room was impenetrable. She went back to the hall, demanding Wooyoung to spit out more facts.

“Sorry, _Sunbaenim_ , my father won’t take me seriously unless I solve a big case. I will not let you help your pretty friend.”

“Wooyoung!”

Hwang Chansung arrived at the scene, now standing with a gun pointed at his own partner. Surely, this did not falter Jang Wooyoung. He put his hands in his pockets, leisurely staring at Chansung. Seongdae floated to him.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I—I was sent by Jaebeom- _hyung_ to help you and Nichkhun- _ssi_. I—I am sorry,” the agent stammered, unable to look directly at the ghost, but at least he could talk.

“He figured it out?”

“I—I t-told him about Woo—Wooyoung.”

“You told who about me, Chansung- _ah_?” the related person spoke up, face darkened. Chansung closed his eyes and muttered something, then he shot at Wooyoung. He hit Wooyoung’s leg, but Wooyoung had his hand on his own gun.

“Go, _Sunbaenim_ , go and save Nichkhun- _ssi_!” Chansung shouted.

“You run, then, quick,” Seongdae said grimly.

Chansung looked at her for the first time, squarely in the eyes. He blinked and paled, but he still ran as she commanded. His quick feet brought him to the stairs before Wooyoung was able to shoot him. The limping agent abandoned the ghost to chase his partner. Seongdae flew to the wall—this time, she got through. Chansung had unlocked it with his short prayer just now.

*****

Lee Junho showed Nichkhun the quite spacious apartment room. It was clean and neat, as expected, but there was something different today. The room was too big for a student’s apartment, too expensive as well. Nichkhun looked back. Seongdae didn’t follow him—where was she? It made his stomach hurt.

“Why are you so nervous, Will?” Junho asked, putting a hand on Nichkhun’s cheek.

“No, it’s… it’s just… the place is… bigger than I thought,” he said.

“Ah, well, it’s not that big,” Junho dismissed the idea, playing humble. “Sit down, I’ll get you something to drink. Do you like orange juice?”

“Yes, please,” Nichkhun replied, sitting at the sofa facing a big TV screen. He slipped a hand through his pocket, feeling the voice transmitter he was given because the last time, Junho noticed the spy-cam, somehow, and tried to pick it up—thankfully Nichkhun snatched it himself and pocketed it. He was pulling out his hand, but the transmitter fell out of the pocket, when Junho arrived with two glasses of orange juice.

“Drink up!” Junho said, picking up a glass for himself. Nichkhun followed, bravely finishing the glass in one go. Junho laughed at this, completely amused. “It’s not drinking game, Will!”

“I am thirsty,” Nichkhun said sheepishly.

Then, Junho played a movie at the TV, and ten minutes passed without any suspicious activities or expected reaction from Nichkhun’s body (he expected that it involved sleeping pills or something of sort, but it never came). Also, Nichkhun was worried sick about Seongdae, who had yet to appear. He kept leering at the floor, wanting to secure the transmitter.

“Junho- _yah_ , this one is beyond beautiful,” a deep, dark voice emerged from behind. Nichkhun stilled, frozen solid. The voice entwined his soul and bound his mind, preventing him to function. Junho rose to his feet and crushed the transmitter almost too naturally. Now the tracker was his only hope.

“I shall fetch the costume, _Hyungnim_ ,” he said, leaving.

“Hurry, Junho- _yah_ , I want to taste him—I feel that this might be the one I seek.”

The voice grew closer. Nichkhun could feel a strong presence approaching. Someone was inhaling his scent. Was he free from the invisible tangle, he would jump away—but now he could only shiver and let out constant stuttering breath. He gasped as a rough hand touched his jaw, caressing it. The TV blacked out suddenly and Nichkhun could see it—the man.

It was a big man in business suit, bowing next to Nichkhun. His square jaw and big ears clearly stood out. His eyes were dark, infused with lust and darkness overlaying the manic glint he owned. He smiled at the reflection. Nichkhun’s eyes widened as the man roamed his other hand down his chest, resting to feel his racing heartbeat.

“You are perfect,” he whispered—and Nichkhun’s fear increased exponentially.

“Let’s get you prepared, William,” Junho announced, revealing an overly familiar costume in his hands. Nichkhun called Seongdae in his mind.

But the ghost never came. Nichkhun now lied on his back. His hands and legs were bound to bedposts. He wore the short-skirted ruffled costume, even the shoes and panties. It was disgusting that everything fit him like gloves. The man took off his suit, revealing dark skinned well-muscled body. Only a thin green bracelet on his left wrist that remained where it was. He smiled again and gestured to Junho to start filming.

“I hope this one won’t die,” he said.

“He is tougher than he looks, _Hyungnim_ ,” Junho told his master.

“I must put that testimony to test,” the man said. He climbed to bed, pouring a sweet-scented lube to his fingers. He loomed above an angry and afraid Nichkhun. He flipped the skirt, untied the laces of the panties, and slowly entered a finger into the hole. Nichkhun gasped and closed his eyes tightly.

“Virgin,” the man declared smugly.

He moved the finger sluggishly, testing waters, then he added another finger. Nichkhun writhed in pain, trying hard to resist the penetration. The more he resisted, however, the more vigorous the man became. He gruffly chuckled at his rejection, and lunged to claim his lips. Nichkhun kept resisting with all his might, but the man was incredibly strong. He could not win against him. The man kissed him, massaging the lips, then forcing him to open the mouth. Nichkhun suddenly lost his mind—he could not resist this, he thought, he wanted more. So, it was the moment Nichkhun responded to the kiss—but also the moment the man ended it.

He pulled out the fingers and turned to Junho with such heated glare that was enough to melt steel. Junho cowered before his overwhelming rage. The man rose to his feet and aggressively approached the student. With his left hand, he lifted Junho by the neck. Nichkhun was shaking in fear. The wrath was dark and heavy, filling the room with blackness that would consume anyone alive. Junho was crying, begging for forgiveness.

“You know my preference, imbecile! Did you know that he is twenty-eight?”

“Woo—Wooyoung- _hyung_ said he was twenty…”

“Liar!” The man’s angry voice shook the room, permeating their skins and bones, cracking the soul. “ _You_ knew. You know what bad boys receive when they disappoint me, don’t you, Junho- _yah_?”

“Ye—yes… Taecyeon- _hyung_ …”

“Good,” the man grunted. His right hand moved incredibly fast—Nichkhun failed to see it—and the next second, Junho coughed up blood. “Did you think that I didn’t know your desire for me after all these years, fool? I did plan to have you tested if this didn’t work—to see if you are the one I seek, but look what you have done! I will not touch you for your punishment.” The man dropped Junho to the floor, left chest gushing dark red blood. He coughed and, even on the verge of death, attempted to grab his master’s foot.

“Please… please… _Hyungnim_ , forgive… me…” he pleaded with raspy, croaked voice.

“I will, once I find my perfect companion. Good night, Junho- _yah_.”

“Thank… you…”

The boy died with hint of smile—which was incredibly disturbing. Nichkhun would have vomited if he was free. The man, Taecyeon, came back to bed, caressing Nichkhun’s cheek with his bloody hand. Slowly it trailed down, leaving red trail on the skin, and stopped at Nichkhun’s neck. He pressed his thumb on Nichkhun’s Adam’s apple. Gently at first, but then it strengthened until it was as good as strangling. Nichkhun’s body jerked violently, trying to escape. His eyes watered as the pain increased—he tried hard to breathe.

“You’re good,” Taecyeon said in satisfaction. Only then Nichkhun realized it wasn’t Taecyeon’s hands that choked him, but invisible ropes. It didn’t feel like ropes, just air.

“What—what’s this…” he said between his heavy breathing.

“My device,” Taecyeon replied simply. He poured the lube on his proud other device. He didn’t wait and roughly entered the half-prepared hole, stretching it colossally. Nichkhun cried—it felt like it was ripped.

“No… no… no…” he chanted.

“Keep denying, I like it when my prey is not in agreement with me,” Taecyeon said excitedly. He pinned Nichkhun’s hands and pounded ruthlessly. The lube soon wore off and was replaced by scarlet fluid excreted by Nichkhun’s rectum. Taecyeon laughed maniacally and whispered to Nichkhun, “Your virgin blood has sanctified me.”

“Stop—stop it! No… please… stop!” Nichkhun cried hopelessly—but the man only pumped harder and faster into him. He tried to bite Taecyeon’s lip when he was kissing Nichkhun, but the bleeding lip only caused the man to slap him across the cheek and laugh even more.

“Feisty! I like you,” Taecyeon exclaimed. He reached to Nichkhun’s neck and put his hands around it. This time, he was strangling Nichkhun with his own hands. He didn’t stop violating his hole either. Nichkhun felt he was blacking out, but he kept his denying chant. He felt hope out of the blue as a voice called out to him:

“Khun!”

“Seongdae!” he called out. He saw her charging towards Taecyeon, but the ghost was grasped by the neck, just like Junho earlier. Taecyeon’s right hand stopped her. He smirked as he recognized his victory.

“I don’t know how you managed to come in, but you come at the right timing, Choi Seongdae,” Taecyeon said directly at the ghost who tried so hard to release the grip on her neck unsuccessfully.

“You know me? Bastard, let me go!”

“I can read your memories, Ghost, as well as the fact about this… William,” Taecyeon revealed, leering at Nichkhun who was completely in his control right now.

“Let him go!” Seongdae demanded.

“Sorry, but no. I like him. I will make him mine. Despite his age is far older than my preference, he is what I have always wanted.”

“You maniac!”

“Oh, yes, I am,” Taecyeon lightly agreed. “I am the maniac who is more than capable of crushing your supposedly strong and powerful soul that amazingly managed to come back from death only to protect this beautiful being.” He exhibited the truth behind his words by tightening his grasp. Seongdae’s translucent body began to crackle and threatened to crumble just with a little bit more force.

“Don’t!” Nichkhun cried, tugging at his bound wrist. He gave up with the wrist and just used his lips. He kissed Taecyeon’s resting left hand that was still on his neck. He bit the skin gently and licked the spot. He gained Taecyeon’s full attention now.

“No, Khun… don’t give yourself away!” Seongdae opposed.

“If—if I give myself to you, will you leave her alone?” Nichkhun asked meekly—the ghost shouted against this. A gentle smile bloomed on Taecyeon’s face. It seemed normal for unaware people, but a keen-eyed person like Nichkhun would notice how insane that smile was, how abnormal it was.

“Yes, yes, I swear, Nichkhun,” he answered with sickening sweet voice. The ghost was powerless—she could not win against this man, no, never. Seongdae finally realized his identity. He was the ghost-killer, famous for “exorcising” haunting ghosts, now they knew that he was also a man-killer.

Then, Taecyeon resumed. Nichkhun was still crying as the man thrust into him, but he was more submissive now. It took time until Taecyeon flipped the switch inside Nichkhun and the man in costume begged pitifully, “No, stop. Don’t… please… no… stop… no more…” Taecyeon saw that Nichkhun was aroused and he tried to shake off the pleasure Taecyeon gave by pleading for mercy.

“You are perfect,” Taecyeon said vigorously. He put his hands around the neck again and pumped into Nichkhun mercilessly. Seongdae lamented, giving her all to ease the strength that Taecyeon put on his strangling hands.

“Stop… stop… stop…” Nichkhun chanted.

He shouted uncontrollably when he came and he cried loudly when Taecyeon entered him bare. He jerked violently when Taecyeon filled his hole with his semen. Taecyeon’s interest was only increasing as Nichkhun showed his submissive side limitedly when he wasn’t fucked. He choked the pretty man and fucked him again for the fourth time that day—but he went too far that even Seongdae could not withstand. Nichkhun did not breathe anymore.

“Oh, no,” Taecyeon muttered, as if feeling a terrible lost.

Ironically, it was the most human expression that he ever showed and it made Seongdae boil with rage. The anguish he sported was almost too sincere. He even pulled out and arranged Nichkhun’s body to an appropriate position. His grieving—to which Seongdae loathed with her all might—was shortly interrupted.

“ _Hyungnim_!”

The door opened and Jang Wooyoung limped into the room. He dropped to his knees, eyes pleading. He said unto the master, “ _Hyungnim_ , please help me. Hwang Chansung, he has escaped with my secrets. Please…”

“Is that so?” coldly Taecyeon asked. He stood up. “Did you know that the _boy_ your brother brought to me was actually twenty-eight?”

“What?” Wooyoung asked innocently. He, then, found the limp body of Nichkhun on the bed before him. “I… I don’t…” He wanted to lie, but his eyes were laid on another limp body in the room. His younger brother was on the floor, surrounded by a pool of his own blood. He saw red.

“Why did you kill my brother?” he shouted angrily, crawling towards his brother.

“It is a simple punishment,” replied Taecyeon, stretching his muscles in front of a full-bodied mirror.

“After everything we did for you? You are heartless! You are heartless! We did everything you wanted! We pledge ourselves to you! Why would you kill him? He loved you! All he cared about was pleasing you!” lamented Wooyoung, scooping his beloved brother into his arms.

“I know.”

“You are a monster!”

“That I am,” Taecyeon flatly said.

He grabbed a roll of stiff plastic wrap. He marched to the man and without hesitation slammed the roll through his chest. Blood splattered around the wound and through the small hole at the centre of the roll. Taecyeon remained expressionless as blood painted half of his face. The roll was long enough that it could break through Wooyoung’s back.

“Good night, Wooyoung- _ah_ , say hello to your mom,” he whispered, cleanly tugged off the roll from Wooyoung’s chest. He peeked through the small hole he created on the chest and blinked. It was a perfect tunnel, he decided, mentally giving himself a gold star for yet another achievement.

Taecyeon wore latex gloves and tore off Junho’s skin around his neck. He cleaned his body with a towel and burnt the plastic roll, the skin, the towel, and bed sheet in the incinerator. The ash was drained down the toilet bowl. He skilfully removed the tracker from Nichkhun’s back thigh and threw it carelessly. He dressed the open wound neatly with proper medication and bandage. He suited up and cleaned Nichkhun’s body, changing his clothes back to his casual ones. He left the costume, pristinely cleaned, on the brothers’ bloody lifeless bodies. Instead stabbing him, as he usually did, he brought Nichkhun in his arms and left the apartment normally. There was only one tenant passing them and asked what happened. To her question, Taecyeon replied:

“Bad things—any minute later, he might be gone forever!”

“Oh, my! Then, you should hurry to the hospital! Poor thing… he is so pale.”

“Yes, thank you for your concern. I must hurry now.”

The unsuspecting middle-aged woman would never know that the man she thought as a local hero was actually the one who did “bad things”.

*****

The news broke just a couple of hours after Taecyeon left the building. Hwang Chansung managed to urge Chief Park to send reinforcement, but when they arrived, they only found the brothers with the costume and Nichkhun’s tracking chip. Chief Park could not hold his emotions and went to call his ex-wife, only to be informed that his ex-wife had died six years ago—and his son, Junho, was the one answering all his phone-calls, changing his voice to identically mimic her. The case was ultimately closed after a year since the culprit had since stopped killing and no other clue was retrieved. Nichkhun was declared missing, but along with the case, he was declared dead. Even Jay could not track down The Beast-Man.


	6. Chapter 6

# 6

A normal salaryman, an office worker at a snack manufacturing factory, glide on his chair, stretching his arms. It finally was five o’clock. He wrapped up works and yawned. Hong Sungmin, his cubicle neighbour and colleague in PPIC team, looked down at him from the cubicle wall, smirking.

“Hey, wanna join the guys after this? We’re going to lamb skewer place. There’s a new one across the station, big promo.”

“Thanks for the offer,” the man said, standing up with bag in hand. “But I prefer my wife’s cooking.”

“Ah, you, don’t pretend as if your marriage life is perfect, man. You can always take a night off from your wife, tasting a brief nostalgia of your bachelor life!” Hong Sungmin said, jokingly of course, but his officemate wasn’t amused by that.

“See you in Monday,” he curtly ended the conversation. He strutted out of the office, into the elevator.

“He chose his wife over guys’ night out again, huh?” Kim Hyun, another colleague, asked, joining Hong Sungmin. “I don’t know whether to envy his marriage life or feel sad for his life—but, man, have you seen his wife?”

“You have?”

“Accidentally caught a glimpse when he received a call from his wife. The picture was, you must say, very risqué.”

“Really?”

“She posed like Miss August, man! In French maid costume!”

“Damn—now I understand. Isn’t that unfair that only good-looking guys get to bang super sexy girls?”

“Now, now, we all know it’s how the world works.”

With the useless and pointless conversation ended, they met up with the other guys and went to party like a bunch of unhappily married guys (and some unhappily single guys).

*****

The common office worker left the station. For some reason, he lived practically across the island from the factory he worked at. He walked into a shop and bought a box of ice cream, today he picked the blackforest flavoured. As he was leaving, a car stopped in front of the shop. Its driver stepped out and greeted the man, politely bowing as he was letting the man get into the passenger seat in the middle. The luxurious car, then, travelled towards a handsome mansion. The man climbed the porch and waited for the door to open. Almost automatically it was, by a strikingly beautiful woman in red Chinese dress.

“Welcome home, _Oppa_ ,” she greeted, brightly smiling.

“My beautiful bride,” he greeted back, kissing her gently on the lips. “What have you prepared for me tonight?”

“Lamb steak,” she replied, gasping lightly at the sensation.

The man smiled and walked further into the house as his wife closed the door. His wife took off his jacket and took the bag from him. He went into the spacious bathroom in the master room and soaked himself in the bathtub. His wife came right when he needed to dry himself. Caringly, the wife dried the man’s body and dressed him in his dining suit. They then walked hand in hand to the dining hall.

“Splendid menu,” the man praised.

He sat on the end of the long table and began to eat primly. His wife, however, stood at his side, watching with anticipation. As he made an approving hum, she was glad and approached him boldly. The man invited her to sit on his lap and fed her tiny bits of the steak as if he was afraid that anything bigger than a pea would rip her mouth.

“Stop this, please!” a woman’s voice broke the tranquillity. They both looked towards the source, which was none other than a transparent lady chained to the corner of the room: the ghost of Choi Seongdae. “He is not your husband, Khun! Please, please… please, stop,” she implored.

“We are married, Seongdae- _yah_ , of course he is my husband,” said the woman, who wasn’t a woman at all. It was Nichkhun, totally forgotten who he was before, posing as Taecyeon’s wife. He showed the ring to the ghost.

“Don’t bother, Khunnie,” Taecyeon consoled his wife, “She will never understand. She wants you to be out there, chasing some freaks that kill people—but I want you here, safe and sound, with me.”

“Yes, _Oppa_ , I want that, too,” Nichkhun said, putting his head on Taecyeon’s chest.

“You really are a monster!” Seongdae angrily spat.

“I’m hungry for you, Khunnie,” Taecyeon whispered, effectively ignoring Seongdae. Nichkhun giggled and shyly averted his eyes.

Taecyeon forcibly slammed Nichkhun face-first to the table, bending him. Nichkhun let out a needy moan that didn’t naturally suit him before—nor that he would ever make before. Taecyeon ripped the split-thigh skirt, exposing the milky white thighs and ass. He tore Nichkhun’s red underwear and licked his lips at the sight of the gasping orifice. Taecyeon hastily pulled out his device, spat on it and entered the hole.

“O—oh… Master…” Nichkhun whimpered.

“I like that,” Taecyeon said, pressing Nichkhun’s neck with one hand, “But there is something else I like more than that.” He began thrusting and Nichkhun moaned faintly. Taecyeon assessed him closely. “Not yet, huh?” he said as he increased the speed. At one thrust, Nichkhun finally snapped and returned to his old self.

“No… not again… nooo…” he wailed. He looked up, meeting Seongdae’s eyes. He tried reach out with his hands. “Seongdae- _yah…_ Seongdae- _yah_ … help me… please… help me… no… no more… please… don’t… _Noonim…_ help me…” Taecyeon cackled at the appearance of the _real_ Nichkhun. He tightened his grip on the neck and sped up mercilessly. The more he felt pleasure from being fucked in the ass by Taecyeon, the more he would retaliate, begging for Taecyeon’s mercy which he knew would never exist.

“You might say no, Khunnie, but you enjoy this as much as I do,” Taecyeon said into his ear. Nichkhun shook his head as he cried, calling out to Seongdae, who was completely incapacitated and now weeping for him.

Taecyeon drowned in Nichkhun’s lament, having the dirtiest euphoria. Nichkhun came with a sob, a guilty weep, and Taecyeon cackled at his suffering. He had yet to peak, so he flipped Nichkhun to his back. Nichkhun’s fear was clear in his eyes. His hands balled and, as strong as he could, pushed Taecyeon by the chest away from him. Therefore it was no use. The man was twice, or perhaps thrice, stronger than Nichkhun. Aided by his supernatural gift, Taecyeon was invincible.

“Cry, cry some more, Khunnie baby. Cry as you deny the pleasure your body accepts readily. Cry for the freedom that I will never grant you,” Taecyeon said, pulling Nichkhun’s hair cruelly. Nichkhun’s breath heaved as anger boiled inside his chest. The manic light slashed through the man’s eyes and Nichkhun knew his fight was long ago ended. Taecyeon shred the cheongsam, forcing it to open down to the arms, thus constricting Nichkhun’s hands’ movements.

“No… no…”

Nichkhun had begun before Taecyeon put it back into him. If anything, it only enticed the sick-minded man more. Taecyeon lifted Nichkhun’s right leg, pinning it against his chest until he was gasping for air, but Taecyeon wasn’t satisfied. He let go of the leg and pounded unbelievably harder and faster—Nichkhun’s pleas becoming weaker by the minute. He had his hands between their chests, still pushing against Taecyeon, resisting. The table moved because of the force.

“No one will ever help you, Khunnie, you are mine!” Taecyeon exclaimed, choking Nichkhun with both hands. Nichkhun could not speak, or breathe. His eyes wide and tongue sticking out. The pleasure built up quickly, but so did the pain. He wanted to breathe.

“Say it, Khunnie, if you want me to let you breathe again. Say it.”

“Plea—se… _Op—ppa_ … I—I am… yo—yours. Let—me—bear your… seeds...”

Taecyeon released the strangler. Nichkhun moved his hands from Taecyeon’s chest to his neck, hugging him closer. He locked his legs around the waist and let the man give it to him. He moaned constantly with a state of mind that caused Seongdae to curl and unable to look or hear anymore. Taecyeon came inside him a few seconds after himself.

As they calmed their breaths, Nichkhun returned to his _unreal_ self. Taecyeon showered him with kisses, to which he gladly returned. They kissed, making out, for minutes that seemingly felt like years for Seongdae. Nichkhun sounded so happy and contented while just a moment ago he begged for help miserably.

“I’ll buy you more cheongsam dresses. They suit you well,” Taecyeon said.

“I’ll wear anything you like, _Oppa_ ,” Nichkhun answered, giggling. Taecyeon stood up and neatened himself, then picked his bride gently. It was possible to mistake them as a happily married couple, a total romantic husband and a shy wife, when you knew nothing.

“I’m going to get the room cleaned and I need to check on some files, so, my baby, please wash up and wear something nice for bed,” Taecyeon explained as he was putting down Nichkhun in the master room. “Ah, how about this peignoir?” Taecyeon pointed at a knee-length, sleeveless white peignoir hung at the coat rack.

“Wouldn’t it be too cold, _Oppa_?” Nichkhun whined.

“I will keep you warm,” said Taecyeon.

Nichkhun giggled again and then kissed Taecyeon shyly. He glued himself on Taecyeon, as if he was not a whole without him.

“Oh, I found something when I cleaned up the room today,” Nichkhun said. He hastily walked towards the desk and took with him a leather-bound book. He showed it Taecyeon, who immediately recognised it.

“It’s my old journal,” he said. “You can read it if you want.”

“I may?” Nichkhun asked, intrigued.

“Of course,” Taecyeon answered, kissing his bride once more before putting the journal in his hands and leaving him to work on whatever he said earlier.

Nichkhun bathed happily and wore the garment his “husband” requested. He sat at the desk and read the journal as he waited for Taecyeon to return.


	7. Chapter 7

# 7

A woman screamed in the middle of the night. He was awake, startled by the voice. He thought it sounded like his mother. He stepped out of his bedroom, tiptoeing towards the master bedroom. It was locked, but he was brave enough to jiggle at the handle. He tried to peep, but as he did, the door swung open. His father stood before him in sleeping attire and his mother was on the bed, breathing heavily.

“What is it, son?” his father asked.

“I—I heard Mom scream,” innocently he replied.

“Oh, yes, she did,” his father affirmed. He frowned. “Come here, son, let us show you something.”

He did not have any other choice than to step into the room. His father relocked the door. His mother approached his father with melancholic, love-struck face. His father caressed her cheek and then her neck. His hand, however, grasped on to her neck tightly that his mother gasped.

“No, no! Dad, what are you doing?” he demanded angrily, tugging at his father’s night cloak.

“No, son,” his mother spoke despite strangled. “This is how your father shows his love to me. Mom is all right. Mom can handle this much. Don’t worry.”

The look of horror on his face was nothing for his parents. He cried at the sight and kept begging his father to stop, but no, he would not stop.

“This is how we channel our love, son, note this well,” his father commanded.

“A perfect companion is someone like me…” his mother said with breathy voice. She was smiling despite starting to turn to purple. “You must… find the perfect… ah… companion who can… withstand your… physical… and… supernatural…powers, son.”

He remembered he was only eight that night, but ever since he had always witnessed his father choked his mother while sometimes having sex with her. He closed his ears and eyes, but his parents instructed him to remain where he was. His mother was pleading for his father to stop every time they had sex—but once they stopped, his mother was giggling and whispering loving words to his father, receiving his embrace and kisses as if nothing happened just a few minutes ago. This embedded into his mind as he grew up. His lifetime wish was now to find his perfect companion.

*****

His immense supernatural power began to manifest once he turned eleven. He had always been sensitive and he heard and saw many things he was not supposed to, but by the time he turned eleven, it was an entirely different level. He could communicate, even touch the invisibles. His father was a quite renown psychic himself, his powers were not to be underestimated, but he said unto his son that he would be the strongest in the world. To prove that, his parents told him that he would be able to kill ghosts. Not purifying them or helping them through the gate of netherworld, just killing them.

“But why would I kill ghosts?” he had asked.

“Some ghosts can’t be sent over or purified, son. They can only be killed,” answered his father.

“If we die, son, we will come back to test your power. We believe you can do it,” added his mother.

He did not believe that until his parents died, killed by a couple of envious peeps who did not know any honest way to climb back to the top but eliminating the ones sitting on the throne. He himself buried them and not even one drop of tears he shed that day or days after. Twenty-four hours later, the ghosts of his parents truly returned and asked him to crush them with his own hands.

“But why should I?” he asked.

“If you can kill us, you will be able to kill anyone,” his father answered.

“Kill ones that will give you benefits, keep ones that are useful,” his mother said.

“As you wish.”

He did not flinch as he grasped his hands on each of his parents’ necks. He remembered the nights when he was forced to watch his parents and their unorthodox love-making. He chuckled lightly at the sight of his father struggling. The laughter grew louder and more manic as his mother trying hard to resist.

“Good… keep going,” his father urged.

“Find… the perfect companion, son. Like I to your father,” his mother said.

The joy that rose in his chest bloomed as the transparent bodies crushed into sparkling dusts. There was unfamiliar happiness that burst inside; such euphoria never he once felt before. He liked it. He was only sixteen when he lost his parents and killed his parents’ ghosts. He wandered and snatched the throne back from the murderers fairly with his powers. They died in his hands—their ghosts, however, were trapped inside the mansion now only he lived in it.

*****

Nichkhun read the journal attentively, feeling the despair and the dysfunctional dynamics in Taecyeon’s family seeping into him. The words that Taecyeon wrote in the end of his last entry were: “Such violent, inhumane love is the only love I ever know and the only form of love I can only feel. I am sorry, whoever you are, my perfect companion, for this is the only way I can express my love for you and the sole way that can satisfy me.”

“Oh, my poor husband,” Nichkhun murmured.

Inside, the _real_ Nichkhun curled as he also read the entries. He had never felt sympathy for the man who violated him times and times again. He could only feel explosive hatred before, but after reading the journal, he somehow changed. Seongdae came to him, well, at least she could still visit him inside his mind.

“No, Khun,” she begged as she detected the unexpected change. “You should not empathize. He is a murderer—he is a monster!”

“But, Seongdae- _yah_ ,” said Nichkhun, eyes glued on the journal’s entry, “he is just a lonely man. He never felt a real love before. I, on the other hand, was betrayed by my biological parents and then my adoptive parents. Even after I have you and Jay, I lost you both. I have your love, but he does not have anyone’s. Everyone deserves love.”

“No, Khun! Stop! You can’t! Don’t… don’t start thinking that you are his _perfect companion_ , Khun! You are not!” Seongdae said.

“But what if I am, _Noonim_?” Nichkhun muttered, turning to Seongdae. His eyes watered and he was visibly self-destructing. His mind was breaking.

“No, no…”

“Why am I like this, _Noonim_?” Nichkhun said with teary eyes. He implored with red, watery eyes. He looked like a broken china doll. “Why do I feel like I don’t want to leave him anymore? Why do I feel like I don’t mind if he fucks me again and chokes me again? Why do I feel like I understand him, _Noonim_? Why?”

Seongdae’s eyes widened. She moved away from Nichkhun in the darkness of his remote self. She saw the seal of pact shone in there, growing vastly. The seal of pact only appeared once at the end of the journal—not visible for common people even with special abilities. Only spirits and the seal-makers and users would be able to see it there.

“No, Khun… no… it can’t be true!” Seongdae denied. She had seen it before in Nichkhun’s mind. Years ago, perhaps. Nichkhun stared into Seongdae’s eyes, his supposedly bright and beautiful round eyes were filled by swirl of madness. He opened his lips and asked with berated, desperate voice:

“ _Noonim_ , am I his perfect companion?”

Seongdae fled, never again returned to Nichkhun’s mind since and Nichkhun bit by bit was transforming himself to fit Taecyeon’s standards. It was too painful. Seongdae often begged Taecyeon to let him do it anywhere but the banquet hall where she was chained. This, of course, only made Taecyeon eager to exhibit his control over Nichkhun in the banquet hall, in front of Seongdae, just like his parents forcing him to witness their maddening ritual.

*****

Taecyeon woke up in the middle of the night. In his arms, his bride was asleep, but soon after, he too was awake. They stared at the room through their four-poster canopy bed carefully, anticipating. Taecyeon stepped out of the bed and Nichkhun was behind him. They walked through the hall, then Taecyeon grabbed his bride away. An explosive landed in the hall, shattering his French window. He took Nichkhun as far as possible before it exploded, creating a hole at the outer wall of the hall.

“What’s happening?” Nichkhun asked. “What’s happening, _Oppa_?”

“Your old friends are here,” Taecyeon replied with gritted teeth. He stood at the end of hall, waiting for two dark figures that leapt into the mansion via the freshly made hole on the wall. Hwang Chansung and Park Jaebeom had come after two years of restless search.

“Khun! Come with us!” Jay shouted, offering a hand.

“He will not come with you,” Taecyeon growled. “He belongs with me!”

“You monster don’t deserve him!” Jay yelled.

“He is my perfect companion!” Taecyeon said. “You can try to take him, but I will not let you come closer than ten metres away from him. I guarantee that.”

“We will not leave without him and Seongdae,” declared Jay, cocking his gun. Chansung was ready with his rifle, but his eyes wandered about. He was still afraid of ghost until today, sadly.

“Between us, only one will survive,” said Taecyeon. It was a declaration of mortal combat—defeat by death. As it was he who said it, it was more likely that there would be no other way out.

Nichkhun stayed still as Taecyeon charged towards the perpetrators. Nichkhun could not see anything, only sound of shootings and punching. Taecyeon emerged from darkness after throwing Chansung to the opposite end of that hall. He had Jay’s neck in his left hand. The situation was familiar.

“No, wait!” Nichkhun shouted. “No, don’t kill him, please! Please, I beg you!” He knelt by Taecyeon’s legs and looked up with sad eyes. Taecyeon heeded him and instead he threw Jay at the same direction as Chansung.

“I must kill him, Khunnie,” Taecyeon said, pulling Nichkhun by the hands to his feet.

“But he is my friend, _Oppa_ , I don’t want to see my friends killed.”

“That’s it!” Jay screamed. “That’s done it, Khun! Listening to you calling this monster like that is enough. I’m gonna kill him and end this forever. Chansung- _ah_ , on your feet now! You have to destroy that bracelet he has.”

Chansung aimed at Taecyeon’s left hand and shot without second thought. It was right on the mark. The bracelet fell with thin layer of skin and flesh scrapped along as the bullet passed. Taecyeon turned painfully slowly. His eyes were as black as tar. Nichkhun hadn’t seen this before, but this was how he looked when he killed Lee Junho with his bare hand. He moved inhumanely fast. Chansung’s gut was almost hollowed if not for Ghost Seongdae’s intervention. She might be still chained, but as they were thrown close enough to the banquet hall, she was able to aid them.

“You…” Taecyeon’s voice was beastly, anger fuelled as his intention wasn’t fulfilled. He switched his prey. He grabbed the ghost’s face, squeezing it with his big hand.

“Seongdae- _yah_! No! _Oppa_! You promised! You promised you won’t hurt her if I give myself to you. I am yours now, _Oppa_ , keep your promise!” Nichkhun screamed, but this distraction was used by Jay to shoot Taecyeon, repeatedly—unfortunately, nothing hit him.

Taecyeon threw the ghost and pivoted. He slammed both intruders’ heads to the wall. It did not matter how strong they were, without bigger weapons, they would not win. Jay pulled out two grenades and threw them randomly. As explosions occurred, Taecyeon still would not let them go. Chansung dropped a torch and fire suddenly spread through the mansion. This time, Taecyeon let them go.

“Khunnie, come with me,” he urgently said, taking Nichkhun by hand.

“Explode it now,” Jay commanded Chansung. They had set plenty of TNT around the mansion since they couldn’t get it. It was enough. They managed to block Taecyeon and Nichkhun’s escape path.

They did not know what exactly was happening, but the whole mansion was now on fire and the halls were wrecked. Nichkhun and Taecyeon somehow ended up in the banquet hall and Nichkhun did not want to leave Taecyeon’s side.

“Khun, leave him!” Jay begged.

“No, I can’t!”

The cracked ceiling crumbled and fell down on them all. Chansung pulled Jay away from the collapses, Seongdae was hardly affected by such physical threat, but Nichkhun was in the middle of the room. Seongdae somehow was freed from her chains.

“Wait, I…” she murmured, confused. She, then, floated towards the spot she last saw Nichkhun.

“Seongdae- _yah_ , wait!”

“It’s the ghost…” Chansung murmured, paled drastically. He was holding his bleeding stomach, only a small wound caused by the tips of Taecyeon’s fingers.

“Are you okay, Khunnie?”

That voice stopped them all. The crumbled ceiling pieces fell away, revealing Taecyeon hunch over Nichkhun, unscathed yet lamenting. Nichkhun sat up and embraced the said monster. There were twenty bullets around his torso, all bleeding. He chuckled as he collapsed on Nichkhun. His blood painted Nichkhun’s white night cloak and hands red.

“No…” Nichkhun cried.

“I am sorry that it has to be like this,” Taecyeon murmured weakly, exclusively for Nichkhun. He touched Nichkhun’s face with his bloody right hand, marking it down to the neck just like the day he first mauled Nichkhun, the only difference was this time it wasn’t anyone else’s blood. It was his—mostly. “At least I had a chance to live with you for two years. I love you, Khunnie. Whatever I have done to you, it was all because I love you.”

Nichkhun wailed as he witnessed death, again. After all, he was a mortal, too, and he was able to die.

“Oh, we hit him,” Chansung said, shocked.

“If he didn’t try to protect Khun just now, he would be able to heal those wounds,” Seongdae explained grimly. She floated again towards Nichkhun, but the man glared darkly at her and snapped:

“Don’t come any closer!”

Seongdae, as if spellbound, stopped. As shocked as the other two, she felt she was dead once again. More than anything, never in her life and after death life, she would ever imagine that Nichkhun whom she cherished the most in the world—and declared love for her in return—rejected her like this. Those eyes were filled with disgust and pure vengeance. He might have gone rampage for her death, but this was another level.

“Seongdae- _yah_ , are you okay?” Jay asked.

“I can’t move,” the ghost said, “He stopped me with real powers. I didn’t stop because I obeyed him—I stopped because he stopped me.”

“I don’t understand,” Chansung said.

“Why can’t you just leave us alone?” Nichkhun suddenly uttered. Dark and heavy aura spread through the hall, painting the ever-destructing flames with tar black. The heat rose speedily, consuming even stones in seconds. His voice ranted gloomily, infused by anguish and hatred that rooted from the death of Taecyeon in his arms: “I don’t ask you to rescue me. I don’t want to leave him. I don’t need your help. I was all right. I was never harmed.”—Jay and Seongdae were speechless, their hearts teat—“He was so nice to me. He was just unable to express his affection like normal people. He loved me so much. He truly loved me and only I could satisfy him.”

“No, Khun, that’s never love!” Seongdae insisted. “That’s wrong!” She tried to move again to him, but Nichkhun rejected her even stronger, casting a repelling spell again.

“What’s so wrong about that? What’s so bad about being loved like that? Why do you keep acting as if you know anything what’s right for us? For me? I decided this myself. Why didn’t you leave, Seongdae- _yah_? I did this for you.”

“I want you to be free, Khun- _ah_ ,” Seongdae said, tearing up.

“Now I lost everything… I lost everything… I lost everything… I lost everything…”

Nichkhun chanted the phrase endlessly. He hugged the dead man closer. The fireplace exploded, sending materials about the room. The mansion was going to fall into ruin. Seongdae kept her eyes on Nichkhun, the one she had always looked after since he arrived in the orphanage. He used to be small and weak, cry-baby too. Now he had grown so big and strong, but yet, his mind was stolen, or perhaps returned to where it belonged. Choi Seongdae might be a ghost, a soul of deceased human, but her heart retained its function, which she wished the otherwise.

“Goodbye forever, Khun- _ah_ ,” said Seongdae, holding back her ghostly tears. She turned her back and grabbed the men, flying them away from the mansion.

Along with all the dark memories of Nichkhun’s last moments in life, the mansion was burnt to ash. No one ever found the remnants of either Taecyeon or Nichkhun between the ruins. Therefore, Seongdae, Jay, and Chansung thought it was for the best that no one ever knew.


End file.
